I was told recently that in some cases cotton fabrics used as general wear in category 0 situations may in fact be a bad idea in laboratories or medical facilties where there may be an oxygen enriched atmosphere or where other piped gases may be present. I was told that cotton may absorb oxygen and present another ignition hazard. I would welcome any views or information on the subject.

O2 Atmosphere



O2 atmospheres have their own unique hazards. Even arc rated fabrics can have issues here. The original space program in the US has high O2 atmosphere and flame resistant garments didn't even work there. The LOI (Limiting Oxygen Index) of a fabric can give a clue on this but you want something which doesn't have carbon-carbon bonds available if O2 is really high. Hope this helps Mike.